


Northern Lights

by breadqueen95



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Crushes, Cute, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, One Shot, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadqueen95/pseuds/breadqueen95
Summary: Harry and Y/N have been close friends for years. Both have developed romantic feelings for the other, but it takes a persistent Hermione and ROn to get Harry to make the first move. Fluff ensues!
Relationships: Harry Potter/Reader
Kudos: 22





	Northern Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr under @breadqueen95
> 
> This was my first ever fic, and I'm really proud of how it turned out!
> 
> Harry Potter is not owned be me. General story and original characters written by JK Rowling

“For Godric’s sake, Harry! Just ask her!” Hermione hissed at her friend as they sat by the roaring fire in the Gryffindor common room.

“She’s…busy, Hermione. Just drop it.” Harry mumbled, just trying, and failing, to return to his potions homework.

“This is your perfect opportunity to ask out the girl you’ve been into for over a year now, and you’re scared to even try?” She rolled her eyes as she muttered, “You can face Voldemort several times AND SURVIVE but you can’t ask Y/N out?”

You were sitting on the other side of the common room, right by the window. You were completely engrossed in the book you were reading, a muggle fantasy called _Game of Thrones_. Y/H/C loosely tied up in a bun, your Y/E/C scanning the pages in front of you with fervor and excitement. You were completely unaware of the fierce conversation happening between the trio of friends right across the room and that it was entirely about you.

“C’mon Hermione, lay off him,” Ron chuckled, “You know how bloody awkward Harry is around girls. We’re saving her a world of embarrassment if we’re being honest.” Harry’s face turned red as Hermione smacked Ron over the head with her transfiguration notes, causing several students to look over. Still, you didn’t look up from the story in front of you. Daenerys was about to free the slaves in Astapor, and that seemed more important than anything else going on if you were being honest.

This obliviousness translated into your everyday life. The truth was that Harry Potter had been mad for you since 5 th year. You had been close friends with him ever since you were one of the few who believed he didn’t actually put his name into the Goblet of Fire. You had stood by Harry’s side the entire year, and then again during the madness of Dolores Umbridge the next. Steadfast and kind, you helped him get Dumbledore’s Army off the ground along with Ron and Hermione. You even joined Harry and the others for the fight against the Death Eaters at the Ministry, standing by his side even as everything looked hopeless.

“I just want to know _why_ you won’t do it, Harry,” Hermione asked crossly, “you’ve got clear skies and the Northern Lights tonight. It’s perfect!”

“Because Y/N’s too good for me!” Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. Several faces turned toward the loud voices, but once again you remained entranced by the fantastical events of Westeros. Once Harry made sure you weren’t paying any attention, he continued, “She’s so kind, and beyond brilliant. Y/N makes me laugh every single day, more than I ever have in my life. She’s one of the only constants in my life besides you two. Not to mention the amount of danger she’d be in if Voldemort ever found out that I love her-”

Ignoring Ron’s wince at the mention of the dark wizard, Hermione exclaimed, “YES you admit it! You love her!” Harry didn’t answer, just put his blushing face in his hands as Hermione continued to gloat about his slip up.

But once it became apparent to the brilliant witch that her best friend would continue to ignore this perfect opportunity, she gestured to Ron. They both set aside their work and pulled Harry up by his wrists, much to his surprise. Ron grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye.

“You have clear skies tonight. IN SCOTLAND. You have an invisibility cloak. You have an astronomy tower with an incredible view, and the NORTHERN DAMN LIGHTS. You won’t have a better chance than this, mate.” Ron said in a fierce voice, trying to hype Harry up for what he knew he had to do. Ron knew Harry better than anyone, and knew that if he didn’t do this now, he never would.

To both their surprise, Harry sent a shy but hopeful glance toward you. Had Ron finally gotten through to him? With a slight shove from Hermione, he started walking shakily toward your corner of the common room. You didn’t even notice him until he was right in front of you. Hey, Daenerys was incredibly captivating okay?

“Er…Y/N?” Harry prodded, not quite sure how to get your attention. When you didn’t answer right away, he tapped the top of your hardcover. You jumped and looked up but smiled when you saw it was him.

“Oh, hey Harry! Sorry, you know how I am with a great book.” Trying to quell the butterflies in your stomach, you carefully marked your place before looking back up at him. He was still standing awkwardly by your table, just kind of awkwardly smiling, so you gestured toward the empty seat next to you and asked, “Do you…want to sit down?” Those butterflies were absolutely exploding now and the boy you loved took the seat you indicated and took a deep breath.

What Harry didn’t know is that you had loved him back for just as long. When he and Ron were fighting during the beginning of 4 th year, you and Harry had spent a lot of time together. You had gotten to know him, and you loved every single thing about him. His courage, his unfailing kindness, his dry sense of humor, just about everything was enchanting to you. You had watched with a pit in your stomach as he chased after Cho, seemingly oblivious to how much you cared for him. But you never said anything, knowing he needed a friend more than ever. 

But ever since last year, something had shifted, growing more apparent with every interaction you had with him. Lingering glances, the brushing of hands, partnering up on class assignments just to spend time together...it seemed different to you, anyway. Not to mention the shyness around each other, nerves where there hadn’t been any before. Even so, you didn’t want to get your hopes up, and your friendship with Harry was more important, but you couldn’t help but hope anyway. 

That same hope sparkled in your eyes as he gulped and looked up at you. For a second there, Harry had to remember how to breathe. He was always caught off guard by how beautiful you were, and this moment was just the same. It didn’t matter if your hair was tangled on windy days after being on the grounds or if you were in your ethereal Y/F/C dress from the Yule Ball. You always looked breathtaking to him. 

“Harry? Is everything okay?” 

“Uh, yeah, I just…” he started, and then trailed off as he tried to get his thoughts together. You didn’t push him, just waited until he felt ready. You knew sometimes that was what he needed. 

“Do you...uh...like lights?” Harry sputtered out eventually. 

“Um...do I like lights?” You asked with a slight smile, thinking him adorable in his awkward ways. “Yeah, I guess I do, but can you be a little more specific?” 

Harry cleared his throat and continued, “It’s uh, a clear sky, and Hermione mentioned that we would be able to see the Northern Lights from here tonight.”

“The Northern Lights? Wow! I’ve always wanted to see them!” You burst out, unable to contain your excitement. It was something you had always wanted to witness. 

Taking your joy as a good sign, Harry continued, “Would you...would you want to come with me tonight to see them? We could use the cloak, sneak up to the Astronomy Tower.” 

Your heart just about burst with happiness. If you were reading the situation correctly, Harry Potter had just asked you out. Your face broke out into a huge smile, heat flooding your cheeks as you exclaimed, “Harry, I would absolutely love to! It would...just be us, right?”

It was his turn to blush now as he asked, “Uh, yeah...that’s okay, right?” 

Reaching across your table to grasp his hand, you said, “That’s more than okay.”

His signature crooked grin split across his face, and he said, “Brilliant! I’ll meet you by the portrait hole around 11pm, yeah?” You nodded your agreement. With a parting smile, Harry went back to Ron and Hermione to a hearty congratulations and you returned to Westeros. But you had to admit...staying focused on Westeros was a lot harder when you had your first date with Harry to look forward to. 

***

You and Harry had watched the clock diligently the entire afternoon, and then again the entire evening, waiting impatiently for 11pm to roll around. The hours had dragged by, every minute ticking slower than the last. 

Finally, that wonderful hour had arrived, and you found Harry waiting by the portrait hole. The cloak was stuffed down the back of his shirt, trying to hide from the lingering 7th years studying hard into the night. Twisting his hands anxiously together, he kept a close eye on the staircase for a telltale sign of your Y/H/C hair. 

Finally, his breath caught as you came down the stairs, treading quietly to avoid attracting the attention of the few students left in the common room. You only had eyes for the black haired boy waiting for you. The butterflies that had started this afternoon when Harry had initially asked you to go with him tonight were in a full out war now, but you were beyond excited. 

Stopping right in front of him you quietly said, “Hi, Harry.” Once again, you couldn’t stop the blush that overtook you just by being next to him. It made you feel a little better when you saw that he was having a similar reaction to you. 

“Hey, Y/N,” he answered in a slightly shaky voice, “ready to go?” You nodded, and you both glanced around the common room, making sure no one was paying attention. Satisfied that that wasn’t the case, Harry threw the invisibility cloak over you both. You had to get quite close so that the cloak would cover you both, but you certainly weren’t complaining. He wasn’t either. 

Clambering awkwardly out of the portrait hole, you tried to keep your giggles under control as the Fat Lady said, “Who’s there? Godric, what’s the point of bothering me when you won’t even show yourselves?” You glanced over at Harry in the low torchlight of the corridor to see him grinning at you. Smiling back, you both started your trek toward the Astronomy Tower. 

The castle was far more menacing at night. You found your eyes widening, trying to see into every dark crevice for a patrolling Filch, Mrs. Norris, or even Snape. Noticing your discomfort, Harry threaded your fingers together. His warm touch brought you back to him and that moment. 

After those long minutes of traipsing through the castle, you had made it to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Harry threw the cloak off of you both, and folded it neatly by the stairs for when you left. Even as he did these things, you couldn’t stop yourself from rushing to the railing to look at the sky. 

Bursts of color painted the sky in brilliant hues of green, purple, and blue. They danced across the sky in ever changing patterns, oblivious to the two teenagers watching from the tallest tower of Hogwarts. You had taken down your hair from your bun, and it danced around your face as the Scotland winds whipped through the open spaces of the Astronomy Tower. Even as the strands danced in your face, becoming hopelessly tangled, you were breathless as you gazed at the sky above you. 

Harry, on the other hand, was enchanted by something else; _you._ Even as the sky danced above him, he couldn’t stop staring at you. He didn’t even notice as his legs somehow brought him right next to you at the railing, simply looking at you. 

_ Godric,  _ he thought, _she’s beyond perfect._

Your hands were resting on the railing, right next to each other. While you were watching the lights above in rapture, you were very painfully aware of the hand next to yours. You wanted nothing more than to reach out, take his cold hand in yours. Harry ended up doing that for you, suddenly threading your fingers together in a moment of courage. 

You looked over at the boy next to you, Y/E/C eyes meeting green. There was an intensity in this look where there hadn’t been before, and you couldn’t look away. Harry couldn’t either, captivated by the way the Northern Lights made different colors whirl across your face. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, reaching up with his free hand to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. It was a gesture so gentle, so kind, so Harry. You couldn’t breathe in that moment, hoping that something more was coming. 

Placing a hand on your cheek, Harry leaned forward, and you leaned to meet him. As your lips met in your first kiss, you couldn’t help but forget about the Northern Lights completely. How could they even begin to compare to the fireworks you felt right now? 

As your lips moved together, you brought your hands up to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer. You wrapped your fingers gently through his black hair, and he brought his other hand up to cup your face completely. It wasn’t rushed, just soft and loving. _I could kiss him forever,_ you thought. 

For the first time in his life, Harry felt completely safe, here in your arms. You eventually broke apart, having kissed long enough that you needed air. Even so, Harry kept you close and rested his forehead against yours, just breathing together. 

“I’m hoping this means you like me a little?” You quipped, unable to keep yourself serious. He let out a soft laugh, pulling you into his chest. 

“This means I like you _a lot._ ” he muttered in your ear, “I’m kind of in love with you, if you haven’t noticed.” 

“Good,” you answered, “because I kind of love you too.” 


End file.
